Prayer
by agsdragon
Summary: Naruto is a cold blooded killer, and hes only 13. When a mission goes wrong and he ends up in Konoha, he struggles to get over his past.
1. Chapter 1

Prayer

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN NARUTO.

His body armor was always on. A guard against an endless wave of threats.

He put on his shirt. Black.

He put on his pants. Black.

Uzumaki Naruto, or better known as the fox demon, the silent killer, death's shadow, strapped on his katana. He picked up an assortment of weapons. It didn't matter which ones, or how many, to him they were just tools to be used and then put back into the garage.

The cold night air embraced him like his long lost parents. His target was a man of innocence. Did he care?

A job was a job. He had been taught that all his life. His personal life didn't matter. His family? Who gave a shit? The pain and damage caused was a side effect. Unfortunate, but then again nothing is perfect.

Lee Haru was standing guarding the left tower. He was bored. The pay was good, and the risks minimal, but he had become a samurai because he had wanted to travel, conquer distant lands. Maybe his dream would happen in his next life. His current one was about to end.

Naruto threw. He closed his eyes. He blocked his nose. The breathing stopped. The constant beat of human life was interrupted, slowing down and then stopped.

The steel pressed against his throat was warm. The reason, blood. Another guard dropped to Naruto. This was too easy.

A kunai flew through the air. Each inch it moved Naruto moved. His legs tensed. His muscles sprung into action, moving him a couple of inches to the left. The kunai was caught and thrown back quicker than the eye could make out. The death however, was perfectly clear.

He slid the door to the heart of the castle silently, not wishing to wake the target. Naruto hated when the mark was alive. They would scream. More work. Or they would make a speech. A bunch of bull shit.

His hands sprung into action. Making silent hand signals practiced many times. They stopped and sprung to his mouth.

The last words Takeshi Omoshi, leader of the village of Takkuku, were

"Katon: Kyuubi".

The last thing he saw was the nine tailed demon coming to life in the form of fire, speeding towards him.

The last thing he did was put his hands together. And pray.

Naruto hated the ones who prayed at the end. They were so stupid. Thinking some fucking fairy would come down from the sky and save them. All a bunch of bull shit. He put his hands to his face, a piece of cloth. Black.

There was something under his mask. He didn't know what it was. He didn't care. No one needed to know. Things would stay that way.

He left his house early the next morning. He lived in the forest, in the most literal sense possible. His home was a tree. It was more than that though, to him it was a friend. A companion who hid him from those who hated him. A friend who always had his back.

Akira was a bad man. He was a rich man. Somehow the two always go hand in hand. He ran a ring of killers. There was a person however who scared him senseless. Yep, you guessed it. The mask; that was the cornerstone, the centerpiece or whatever you wanted to call it.

Lifeless.

Emotionless.

Was how it could be described. There was blood splattered on it, it had never been cleansed. It was permanent reminder to Naruto of his work, of the progress he was making, in his goal. His sick, twisted, perverted, goal.

To make the world a better place.

Konoha:

Hatake Kakashi woke up. He was almost sad? He had lived in Konoha for all his life. His "friends" were there. His rivals were there. His life was there. His father had been preparing for this moment for a while. In fact since his father had been killed his life had been building up to tonight.

_The target. Always think of the target. Don't let emotions cloud your judgment_.

Tonight was special. He would be meeting one of the most deadly men in the world. They had a mission. Handsomely paid for by some wealthy man with an interest. It wasn't his place to question. He was given orders by the customer. His job was to follow those orders.

_Always follow orders_

He remembered his father's death well. His blood. His screams of remorse. His want of repentance. His wishes for social acceptance. He had done him a favor. Cutting him down in his sleep. Ending his nightmare that was life.

Kakashi thoughts turned to Obito. He was meant to be some stupid kid. He was never meant to love Kakashi as a brother. Why did he make life so hard? He had to go and die.

In the heroic pose.

He even gave his brother his eyes.

Kakashi burst into tears. He rarely cried. He pulled down his mask for the first time since he was a young child. He couldn't. He had been a fool. How could he have thought that betraying his home would be so easy? How could have thought betraying his brother? His brother who opened his eyes.

Then there was the Fourth. His father. His guardian. His sensei. He had died to protect everyone he had thought important. Kakashi had tried to stop him. He had already lost his father and his brother, surely he could not live with the loss of another relative.

He had a plan.

Naruto stood on the wall protecting Konoha. A pool of blood, freshly made was quickly drying up under the warm summer night.

"Kakashi"

Kakashi turned and saw the one that inspired so much fear. What he saw shocked him. There, standing where he thought was a man was a boy. He couldn't be older than 13.

"Naruto"

There were many disadvantages to Konoha's size. It made the village an assassin's paradise. Of course, Naruto's great advantage was, he was young; he could blend in. And he was traveling with Kakashi. People smiled at him as he walked by.

Fools.

The last time he had walked these streets it had been different. He needed to change his appearance more back then than he did now. That was not important. _Focus_.

Hokage tower was in the middle of town. It took the two trained shinobi less than a couple of seconds to climb in the nearest window.

Naruto entered first. He walked towards the door. Calm. Silent. Kakashi followed. Only a few more seconds. His plan must work. Otherwise he and Konoha were in dog shit.

Naruto felt the vibrations in the ground. He heard the whistling in the air. He smelt the perspiration on the grip. He moved. A fraction of a second late. The kunai hit his stomach.

_Is this death?_

No.

His armor had blocked most of the damage. He was unconscious. His vision was fading. His muscles relaxing. His brain slowing down. He fell.

And didn't get back up.

A/N: This was an interesting idea of mine I have had for ages. I might leave at as a one scene type thing. If people want me to continue I might be persuaded. I dunno. I like it a lot. It's slightly creepy, but compelling at the same time. It was also very short. I would lengthen further chapters, which I am plotting in my head as we speak. I might publish them as one shots or something. I don't know.


	2. Chapter 2

Prayer Chapter 2

White. That was Naruto's first thought. Then pain. Then more pain. It was an interesting sensation really. He was not used to pain, ever since that day. He dared to open his eyes for a second time. Then he tried to move an arm. He couldn't.

"Can you believe Kakashi brought him back?" A voice snorted. It sounded masculine.

"I know. I mean fuck… It's a demon, not a human" Another man said.

"And then the Sandaime is treating him. I respect the man, but this is taking it too far"

"He killed thousands of people…Innocent people and now we're kissing his ass"

"My brother. The stupid bastard killed my brother"

"I'm sorry. I deeply am"

"There's no need, it's not like you could have done something"

"Still. What was Kakashi thinking, bringing him back here? I almost feel sorry for him"

"I don't"

"Not that what I think is important. He won't survive the night… Hopefully" There were footsteps and the laughter from the two men slowly drifted away.

He needed to leave.

There were too many memories.

Too much pain.

He tried again to move his arm. The pain was unbelievable. Naruto screamed.

"_Stop!" Naruto begged. He was on his knees._

"_Did you stop thirteen years ago?" A man asked him. He back handed Naruto._

_Naruto spat out a mouthful of blood. He said nothing._

"_You will answer me when I talk to you demon!" the man yelled. His fist sped through the air._

Naruto yelled.

"_I'm sorry!" Naruto yelled. Tears streamed down his cheeks._

_A man stepped out from the crowd and smashed his bottle of beer over Naruto's head._

_Naruto fell, clutching his head. Blood painted the narrow street. The crowd cheered. The man threw his stub of a bottle at Naruto. He screamed in agony. His eyes were popping out of his face. He was twitching on the floor. His voice cracked. The crowd only cheered louder._

"_Kill the demon!" Was heard from someone in the back._

"_That was for my parents" The man said. He pulled down his pants and pissed on Naruto's head. He left him broken and dying in the street, covered in blood and urine, laughing. _

Naruto was subdued.

Hokage Tower

Sarutobi, the Sandaime hokage of Konohagakure, the 'professor' was torn up metaphorically speaking. Kakashi had found a naked Naruto in a blind alleyway in Konoha. How was that possible? The kid had been taken by that traitor, Itachi.

Now he was fucked up on the inside. Having a panic attack in the hospital. That was definitely not normal.

He should kill the kid.

No. That would be barbaric.

He called in one of his guards.

"Bring the Toad Sage to me"

Hospital

Yamanaka Inoshi was walking through the pristine white corridors Konoha's main hospital. It was weird, hospitals were always white, the color of death.

Inoshi was a happy man. He had just been given a big case by the hokage. And a big pay check. He would be able to sell the shop and move into a bigger house. He would have enough to support his family. Life was good. He looked at the file.

Shit.

The demon brat. Life had a way of biting you in the ass.

Naruto heard the door open. He was a little drowsy from the meds he had been given.

"Naruto" He heard.

His eyes opened. He saw a man looking straight into his eyes. That wasn't possible.

His mask.

His face.

It was gone.

Naked means different things to different people. To some it means a loss of dignity or honor. To others it mean to not be wearing any clothes. To Naruto it meant a loss of his character. He was not Naruto. He was death. He was God. He was everything and nothing. A greater being.

Inoshi watched as the kid brought his hands to his face.

"My face" "Where is my face"

He was scratching at his face. Blood began to flow from small cuts. This was gonna be a tough face.

"Shinranshin no Jutsu" He whispered, entering the boys mind.

Violence.

Pain.

Suffering.

Grief.

Depression.

Was how Inoshi would describe Naruto's six years in Konoha. He was astonished how the kid was still alive. Sure bruises and cuts would heal, but the emotional damage, that should have been permanent.

He had seen Naruto, covered in urine and blood, left to die. Then he saw a figure well known for his crimes put the unconscious demon over his shoulder.

Inoshi had never experienced a person with such a strong subconscious. Many times, the human mind would block off memories that it didn't want accessed, but Inoshi had been lucky to have escaped alive.

"Hey kid" He said, giving the kid a soft shove.

"Who are you?" He heard. But he didn't believe. How was the kid able to speak after so much therapy?

"I'm Yama- no I'm your friend."

"No. I have no friends"

"I am your friend" Inoshi said with more authority.

"I dislike liars. I usually kill them" Naruto replied. His voice a monotone.

"I'm not going to hurt you"

"Haha" The boy chuckled. His tone stayed the same, just different noises.

It was disgusting.

"I am here to help"

"Haha" More chuckling.

"You have problems. I can help"

"Bull shit"

"Listen to me"

"So I can hear more lies?"

"No. So you can get better"

"Just leave"

"Fine then. You win" Inoshi got up and walked towards the door. Then he thought of his daughter.

If she was like that, would I walk away?

"Get out" _That_ _stupid kid. Who the fuck was he to tell me what to do?_

"Listen up Naruto. Your case is going to make me a rich man. I could walk away, say you were impossible, and that you should be killed. I would be wealthy and could retire and stop putting up with this bull shit, but you have a human side. Or had. I saw it."

"I am not Naruto"

_Finally, a breakthrough._

"Then who are you?"

"I am nothing. I am no one. I am Namon. Naruto is dead."

"I have seen Naruto"

"I said; Naruto is dead!" He shouted. Tears welled up in his eyes.

"Naruto is stronger than you. He would never lose to a pathetic wimp like you"

"Naruto. Is nothing. He was weak. He died as a result" Tears were flowing now.

"Naruto was not weak. Naruto was compassionate. Naruto had feelings. Naruto was a person."

"Naruto is and always will be dead" The tears stopped.

"No. You're wrong"

"I am Namon. There is no Naruto"

"Are you sure this is how you want things?"

"Please leave, I am quite tired."

Hokage Tower:

"Jiraya; how are you? It's been so long." Sarutobi asked.

"I'm better than ever. Research is going very very well" Jiraya replied, winking. "You really should retire. You have no idea how great life without work is"

"I was once retired. Then the Hiashi and the Kyuubi happened" Sarutobi sighed.

Jiraya frowned. "So why did you bring me here? It's great to catch up, but…?"

"Ah yes. We found Naruto"

"What?"

"Kakashi found him. In Konoha!"

"He's still alive?"

"Barely."

"What happened?"

"He was stabbed. Then he almost died this morning. Panic attack we think."

"Oh shit! Are you serious?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry to say. It gets worse. I sent in a physiatrist, Yamanaka Inoshi, and here's the report he gave me. It's not pretty"

Sarutobi gave him a sheet of paper.

"This is bad. Hiashi would be furious. I'm… I'm just astonished really. How could a kid survive this long on his own? There is no way he has been in Konoha this long. Kakashi is lying. And his face? He is really fucked up. I want to see him."

AAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

The door to room 241 in Konoha's main hospital opened. In stepped Jiraya of the Sanin.

Gone.

Window.

Open.

Naruto was walking down the streets of Konoha. He had found his clothes. Not the armor. He had his face back. He was Namon. He blended in. There were problems. Money. Bed. Weapons. These could easily fixed.

Naruto laughed the same perverted laugh as always. His prey was cornered.

"Hey kid. Fuck off. Me and my friend here have business to attend to"

The man continued beating his 'friend'. The man robbed him. The man never saw it. The man never expected a young kid. The man met the same fate as so many others. Death. It was quick and painless. A quick snap of the neck and it was over.

Problem one solved.

Namon knew a city like a drug dealer knew drugs. Finding an apartment cheaply and then convincing the landlord to lower the rent was pretty easy.

Problem two solved.

Naruto was not a shinobi of the leaf. There was no getting around that. No store would sell deadly tools to a child. He didn't know any shinobi. There was one actually.

Kakashi.

That bastard. He would die. It was certain. However, changing one's appearance is key for an assassin.

Hatake Kakashi walked out of Mitushi Weapons holding a bulging bag filled with an assortment of weapons. He walked to the Hanshu Apartment complex. There was a poof. Standing there, was Nobody.

A/N: I decided to write a second chapter, and probably a third, but you never know. Anyway, Namon is an abbreviation for the Japanese word for nobody. Hope that makes sense.


	3. Chapter 3

Prayer Chapter 3:

"Fuck"

Jiraya was angry. Angry at himself. Angry at the world. He had fucked up again. What was the point of being a hero if you couldn't do anything heroic? He was going to find that kid. Make him see the light. He couldn't fail again. He just couldn't.

You didn't become a sanin for nothing. He knew how to find someone, especially in a village where everyone kisses your ass. He had heard rumors, first of all, some guy had been found dead. Broken neck. That was not your common thug. No knife wounds, no signs of beatings, just a completely fucked up neck. That was rare.

There were whisperings about some kid walking through town. There were rumors that there was a reincarnation of the Nidaime waling around. That wasn't helpful. He would need to lower his standards.

AAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"A whiskey for me, and for my friend?" Jiraya asked.

"Ahh Jiraya you know me too well. Koichi, some a bottle of sake. Put it on my tab" A cloaked figure replied.

The bartender nodded.

"No, no! Please, it's on me" Jiraya replied.

"Oh. And here I was, thinking a good associate of mine had come to see me for a drink. What do you want Jiraya?"

"What? Can't two friends catch up?"

"Us? No. We can't. So what do you want?"

"Uzumaki Naruto. What do you know about him"

"Hmm. Uzuzmaki…. Naruto… Ahh."

"Yes?"

"It's never boring with you, is it? The Yondiame's bastard son"

"You know that?"

"Come on. You know me. I know everything!"

The drinks arrived. Jiraya downed his whiskey in one, and asked for another one. His 'friend' poured a small amount into his glass.

"I see you never kicked your old habit completely."

"I would never relapse. You know why I started in the first place."

"Of course I do. Anyways. The kid, he's an odd one, I'll tell you that"

"You read the report?"

"No. My ears hear everything. Anyway, I didn't need to. When you know as much about the boy as I do, you don't need to be a genius to figure it out"

"What do you mean?"

"You've heard the stories about the fox demon, death's shadow and whatever the hell they call him nowadays"

"Yeah. But what does that have to do with…? Holy shit"

Jiraya's second drink came. He soon asked for another.

"This isn't rock solid. One of my informants found a witness to one of the murders. The description somewhat resembles our man, but let me get some more information."

He turned around and waved to someone seated nearby. A man walked over and handed him a thin file. He read the file.

"This explains a lot." He said.

"What?"

"Let's start with his early life"

Another whiskey. Gone.

"I have his medical record here" There was a brief pause. "Man. This kid has taken more punishment than you. Take a look at this."

He passed Jiraya a few sheets of paper. He glanced over the sheets quickly.

"19 broken bones, damaged liver, cracked ribs, blood loss; this kid is a medical miracle, I guess having a demon sealed inside of you helps"

"Yep. Let's move on"

"Let's see. Left in an alley way with sever injuries. Death was probable. Then we have, oh my. Found and taken by none other than Uchiha Itachi."

"Haha. So the bastard really take him. I thought that was a cover up for his death. And in case he didn't die, if he came back he could be killed for affiliating with a criminal."

"It says here there were eye witnesses who claim to have seen the kid on Itachi's shoulder. Witnesses were never seen again. Damn council, they sure have a lot of skeletons in their closet"

"You're telling me. You know they sent some stupid assassin after me once. Poor guy. He thought I was oblivious, and then next thing he knew, he didn't have a head!"

After saying this Jiraya roared with laughter. The man didn't.

"So what happened next?"

"I… I don't know. He disappeared, along with Itachi. People claim to have seen a boy matching his description along with an elder man, but who knows"

"So we don't know anything else?"

"Did I say I was finished?"

"No."

"Next we have a gruesome scene. You must have heard about this. A priest preaching about the Red Lotus, was incinerated, by an unknown jutsu that took the form of the Kyuubi. They said a small person dressed in black used the jutsu."

" 'Course I heard about this. It was everywhere. The birth of Death's Shadow. I haven't heard the part about the Red lotus. What is that?"

"There are no records of it. Anyone who witnessed the speech is either dead or too scared to talk. According to the council's records, it does not exist"

"If you don't know about it, it must be pretty important"

"I'll send someone out on it."

"No need. I have all I need to know"

"Are you sure."

Jiraya downed his whiskey.

"Positive"

AAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSDDDDDDDDDDDD

Namon was currently planning his assassination of Kakashi. This was proving difficult. There was no short term solution. The order would not accept failure. His death would not be good acceptable either. His skills were good. Not good enough. He would lose an outright fight. There must have been a reason Kakashi brought him here. He remembered the beatings. He needed to know more about his past.

He heard the man's breathing. He smelt the alcohol in the air. He felt the hand colliding into his neck. He saw nothing.

Changing character was easy. Earning peoples' trust was easy. Killing a shinobi capable of killing him. That was hard.

He was tied up. Hard. He was in a warm room. Sitting down. There was a soft breeze on his face, even a few gusts of air made there way through the fabric and touched his nose.

"Naruto" A voice called.

He opened his eyes. A man ripped of the mask. Tore it to shreds. He sat there. Limp.

There was a gasp.

"He looks exactly like him, doesn't he?"

"Yeah a spitting image"

There was an old man dressed in white robes. And a tall man, his face covered in markings, his clothes old and worn. Naruto was surprised. Jiraya and Sarutobi. Two famous men. Two targets of the order. He grinned. A foxy grin that he used when he acted like a kid. It made him sick.

"What's up old man?" He asked.

"It's really you. I thought we had lost you" The Sandaime said. A smile from his mouth to his eyes was etched on his face.

"Who are you" Naruto said. A sheepish grin on his face. This was an often used character. He looked so innocent. He pointed at Jiraya.

"I'm… I'm nobody important" Jiraya replied. He cut the bonds keeping Naruto tied to the chair.

Naruto remembered Sarutobi. He had been nice to him as a kid.

"Naruto. I can't believe it's you. Where have you been?" Sarutobi asked. His voice cracked.

"You know. I was taken by Itachi. He healed me. Showed me some awesome tricks. Then one morning he left. I-I have been wandering around. A little of this, a little of that you know." Naruto said.

"Umm Naruto, what exactly did Itachi teach you?" Jiraya asked.

"Well he did a bunch of boring experiments on me. Then he injected a bunch of stuff into me. And then he taught me a bunch of tricks and ninja stuff. Like some jutsus and some other junk. Oh yeah. Look what I can do."

"Byakugan!"

AAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSDDDDDDDDDDDDD

The two men turned to each other.

"They'll have to take him now." Jiraya said.

Sarutobi nodded.

"Naruto, we'll talk later, but for now go with Jiraya. He's going to introduce you to your family"

"I have a family?"

"Yeah squirt now come with me"

A/N: Chapter 3 is up. Can anyone tell me how to do the line thing?

Oh yeah. Please can you write a review. It pisses me off that people read my story then don't write a review. It leaves me to wonder did you like the story? Could I have done anything to make it better? Was absolute bull shit? Please just tell me.


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